Support Coordinator

**SUPPORT COORDINATOR**
- **JOB DESCRIPTION**_

**Purpose**

The Support Coordinator is essential in helping NDIS participants understand their plans, put the supports in place, and gradually build their capacity to organise and manage their supports.

**Primary Objectives**

Assist NDIS participants to:

- Develop their capacity to manage/direct support and carry out their strategy.
- Have more opportunities to learn about, interact with, and connect with their community and other sources of support
- Strengthen their informal networks of support
- Maximise the return on the money invested from their assistance
- Maintain connection with the NDIA and effectively interact with them.

**Key Accountabilities**
- Response to referrals promptly
- Support the NDIS participant to:

- Evaluate several mainstream, community, informal and provider options
- Select preferred options or providers that can meet the support needs of the participants
- Negotiate services to be provided and their prices
- Develop service agreements and create service bookings with preferred providers
- Arrange for any assessments required to determine the nature and type of funding required (e.g. assessment to determine the type of complex home modifications needed)
- Determine the budget for each support type and advise any relevant plan manager of the breakdown of funds
- Liaise with any plan manager to establish the appropriate claim categories and attribute the correct amount of funds
- Link to mainstream or community services (i.e. housing, education, transport, health)
- Strengthen and enhance participants’ capacity to coordinate supports, self-direct and manage supports and participate in the community, including providing participants with assistance to:

- resolve problems or issues that arise
- understand their responsibilities under service agreements
- change or end a service agreement
- Be the key contact for service issues, complaints, significant changes and plan reviews.
- Assist participants to prepare for their plan review by supporting them to:

- assess whether they achieved their goals and got value for money for their plan
- identify solutions to problems experienced in implementing the plan
- consider new goals
- Assist participants in deciding what actions to take to achieve goals concerning exploring housing options and life transition planning.

**Other**
- Maintain confidentiality of customers, their families/carers and the organisation
- Effective networking internally and externally to assist individuals in achieving their desired personal outcomes.
- Manage any perceived or actual conflict of interest following the NDIA’s Terms of Business
- Provide NDIA with reports on specific goals, outcomes and success indicators within the agreed reporting frequency
- Enhance HWNS practice and reputation through continuous improvement, business development and innovation.

**Working relationships**
- Develop strong relationships with customers and their families, carers and advocates, NDIA, other mainstream and disability service providers, members of the community, networking groups, funding bodies, government agencies, auditors and practitioners
- Develop collaborative working relationships with Area Managers, Supported Living Managers, Individual Support Managers, Customer Service Officers and other Support Coordinators.
- Share knowledge and experience with colleagues and members of the Customer Engagement team.
- Work with Admin, Finance, and Shared Services employees

**Knowledge, skills, experience and values required**
- A commitment to the P&L’s Code of Conduct
- Excellent interpersonal and active listening skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to adapt communication style to meet people’s needs.
- Able to resolve conflict
- High level of numeracy and literacy
- Strong administrative skills; time management, coordination of tasks, efficient work practices
- Excellent computer literacy and confidence, and capability in using systems and technology
- Ability to work with mínimal supervision
- Ability to build and maintain strong community connections and relationships with service providers, individuals and families/carers
- Ability to understand the NDIS Price Guide and flexibility within budgets, the NDIS legislation and rules, including provisions relating to reasonable and necessary support and the role of the mainstream service system.

**Qualifications and Experience (required)**
- Basic Qualification: Diploma of Community Services and its equivalent or Higher education will be desirable.
- Experience: at least 2 years of industry experience
- Certificate III in Individual Support
- Certificate IV in Disability
- Certificate IV in Aged Care
- Strong understanding of disabilities, related challenges, and available support services.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
- Empathy, compassion, and a client-centred approach to care.
- Abilit